Modern App Design

By: George Roscoe

Drivers for Innovation:

• Productivity in the driver’s seat
• Adaptive and responsive for all devices
• Single Page Architecture
• Angular and Material Design
• What Next?

Productivity

• Effectiveness of effort measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input
• Increases in productivity leads to increases in the standard of living
• Companies invest for an economic return in order to deliver goods/services with an acceptable cost/value to the purchaser

Ubiquity

• The market is asking for services to be immediately available and easily acted upon
• Availability, security and power of technology, has lead us to reconsider practicality vs. functionality
• Experience has taught us to choose the least common denominator that can provide full functionality

Single Page Application

• What it is – Literally, an application with one page
• Why use it – new data sent out as needed
• Just in time data delivery for the next generation of users
• Pros:
 Best choice for high interaction applications
 Continuous Integration and Deployment
 Device and browser agnostic
 Next generation JS frameworks: Angular, Backbone, Ember, React
 Future designed, future proof and scalable
• Cons:
 Tends to be slower on initial page load
 Can affect SEO Optimization

Angular Design

“Angular (commonly referred to as “Angular 2+” or “Angular 2”) is a TypeScript-based open-source front-end web application platform led by the Angular Team at Google and by a community of individuals and corporations to address all of the parts of the developer’s workflow while building complex web applications. Angular is a complete rewrite from the same team that built AngularJS.” *

“Angular combines declarative templates, dependency injection, end to end tooling, and integrated best practices to solve development challenges. Angular empowers developers to build applications that live on the web, mobile, or the desktop.” *

Material Design

1. Material Is the Metaphor. Inspired by the study of paper and ink, the material lives in 3D space and is grounded in tactile reality. It gives the illusion of space by using realistic shadows.

2. Bold, Graphic, Intentional. Deliberate color choices, edge-to-edge imagery, large-scale typography, and intentional white space create a bold and graphic interface that immerse the user in the experience. The Floating Action Button, or FAB, is a prime example of this principle. Material Design makes it very apparent that this is an important button.

3. Motion Provides Meaning. Motion is meaningful and appropriate, serving to focus attention and maintain continuity. Feedback is subtle yet clear. Transitions are efﬁcient yet coherent. The main point here is to animate only when it has a purpose and not to overdo it.

Where do we go from here?

• Software applications will continue to move from current approaches to ones that are more ubiquitous
• Embrace productivity improvements wherever economically prudent
• Mobile-first is real, so take advantage of it, but make sure it doesn’t work against you
• Native, Installed solutions moving to QuickBooks Online & Office 365®, SaaS and Cloud solutions

]]>Dig In to Dining Spend – Business Travel Executivehttp://www.interplx.com/dig-in-to-dining-spend/
Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:48:08 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2413The Importance of a Good T&E Policy that Clearly Defines Business Dining Policies It is very easy to hide a gift card, a couple of extra beers, or other merchandise within a restaurant receipt, even when the company policy clearly spells out what can and cannot be expensed. This article from Business Travel Executive - Dig In [...]

]]>The Importance of a Good T&E Policy that Clearly Defines Business Dining Policies

It is very easy to hide a gift card, a couple of extra beers, or other merchandise within a restaurant receipt, even when the company policy clearly spells out what can and cannot be expensed.

This article from Business Travel Executive – Dig In to Dining Spend, discusses the business dining industry as a whole and digs into some of the issues with expense reporting and new technologies trying to help expense managers and businesses better manage this sometimes volatile expense category.

George Roscoe, Director of Marketing at InterplX, is quoted several times throughout the article. With his unique insight from reviewing the results of years of client expense reporting audit results, he is able to discuss some of the challenges with balancing the policy rules for spend compliance without making it too burdensome for the user to enter the additional information required.

]]>Limit Exposure to Expense Report Fraudhttp://www.interplx.com/expense-report-fraud/
Mon, 09 Mar 2015 21:54:06 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2278Companies generally struggle to understand and implement expense report approval and audit practices that will reduce their risk to expense report leakage or outright fraud. Part of the issue is trying to completely manage the expense report process internally. The other part of the issue is that companies have the misconception that 3rd-party services from [...]

]]>Companies generally struggle to understand and implement expense report approval and audit practices that will reduce their risk to expense report leakage or outright fraud. Part of the issue is trying to completely manage the expense report process internally. The other part of the issue is that companies have the misconception that 3rd-party services from providers such as InterplX are cost prohibitive.

An IFO article from their Q1 2015 Financial Ops Magazine discusses the issue and solution in greater detail. Click Here to view the article and to learn about how best practices and 3rd-party audit services can actually save time and money.

Developed by Xignite, the leading provider of market data cloud solutions, XigniteGlobalCurrencies offers real-time and historical quotes for currency exchange rates (FX) and provides support for more than 170 currencies and over 29,000 currencies pairs. Within ExpenseNet®, clients can be uniquely configured to provide a suggested, monitored or mandated exchange rate and variance limit for all foreign cash expense transactions.

The upgrade to XigniteGlobalCurrencies was done in such a way as to be transparent to InterplX’s existing clients, yet allow them to take full advantage of the following:

“Having access to real-time and historical data needed for currency exchange is critical, as the rates are constantly changing and even the smallest shift can greatly impact the accuracy of a transaction,” said Stephane Dubois, CEO of Xignite. “InterplX’s use of XigniteGlobalCurrencies demonstrates how one of our advanced market data cloud solutions can be seamlessly integrated into another cloud service offering for the unique benefit of their clients.”

Chuck Buckner, CEO of InterplX Expense Management indicated, “While the bulk of international travel and entertainment expenses are put on corporate cards, this enhanced currency conversion functionality provides a level of automation and control such that foreign cash transactions pose less of a risk than ever before.”

“Our continued partnership with Xignite will ensure ExpenseNet® is the best available global expense report software solution for managing and monitoring currency exchange rates for travel and entertainment expense report reimbursements,” added Buckner.

About InterplX Expense Management (www.interplx.com): Founded in 1994, InterplX is a leading provider of business expense management and purchase card transaction processing solutions through a unique SaaS offering that combines proprietary ExpenseNet® expense report software and back-office services. InterplX is the only company that offers a total business expense management solution – from the receipt submission through expense audit, card payment processing, expense reimbursement, archiving, and discrepancy resolution.

]]>Eleventh Consecutive SSAE 16 Audit with Zero Exceptionshttp://www.interplx.com/ssae-16-2014/
Wed, 04 Feb 2015 15:01:42 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2264Eleventh Consecutive SSAE 16 Audit with Zero Exceptions InterplX is dedicated to protecting its clients' data, and this eleventh consecutive successful audit is no accident. We didn't sit back and wait for another successful audit. We invested in new hardware and software to more than merely pass the audit. Staying ahead of the curve is [...]

InterplX is dedicated to protecting its clients’ data, and this eleventh consecutive successful audit is no accident. We didn’t sit back and wait for another successful audit. We invested in new hardware and software to more than merely pass the audit. Staying ahead of the curve is important to us as we know it’s important to our clients as well to protect their financial data.

Our investments paid off, our systems are more secure than ever, and as an added bonus, we greatly improved the speed of ExpenseNet® in the process. We take steps every week to test and improve our software and infrastructure to ensure our clients have the best experience possible.

This eleventh audit was performed by Eide Bailly LLP, a nationally recognized independent certified public accounting firm. The audit included in-depth testing of InterplX controls and practices. Controls specifically examined during InterplX’s SSAE 16 engagement included:

SSAE 16 compliance is a de facto requirement for a service organization that provides services to publicly traded enterprises, financial firms and health care organizations. The engagement examines and assesses the controls in place at service organizations that handle information relevant to the client company’s financial reporting.

]]>A Practical Look at Recent T&E Expense Management Trendshttp://www.interplx.com/2014-expense-management-trends/
Fri, 19 Dec 2014 21:52:16 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2254Periodically InterplX analyzes T&E trends via expense management surveys we sponsor in conjunction with The Institute of Financial Operations. This year, InterplX president and CEO Chuck Buckner provides the information needed to make sense of these trends. He also provides great tips on decision making and current best practices. This year there are two new [...]

]]>Periodically InterplX analyzes T&E trends via expense management surveys we sponsor in conjunction with The Institute of Financial Operations. This year, InterplX president and CEO Chuck Buckner provides the information needed to make sense of these trends. He also provides great tips on decision making and current best practices.

This year there are two new and exciting trends that stand out from the survey results. As with all new trends, we have some advice on how to take advantage of them without compromising your program’s integrity.

For companies considering their first T&E expense management solution, we cover the hot topics for the AP department, users, and managers.

Central to the TAPN article is that “approving non-compliant expense reports” leads to higher costs throughout the T&E process and the improving compliance will generate hard dollar savings. TAPN also makes the point that just the process of “auditing expense reports electronically” will save time and money.

With more than a decade of experience providing expense audit services, InterplX, couldn’t agree more the fact that there are real savings to be had by effective and timely audits. Plus for public companies, the ability to have InterplX conduct the audits provides a proper “segregation of duties” in support of SOX compliance.

]]>2013 GBTA Convention in San Diegohttp://www.interplx.com/2013-gbta-convention-in-san-diego/
Thu, 01 Aug 2013 20:56:53 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2139InterplX is attending the GBTA Convention 2013 in San Diego this year and will be an exhibitor at booth 949. The GBTA conference is the premier event for the business travel industry and provides us with an excellent opportunity to meet with prospects, clients and our TMC Channel Advantage partners. If you’re attending, stop by [...]

]]>InterplX is attending the GBTA Convention 2013 in San Diego this year and will be an exhibitor at booth 949. The GBTA conference is the premier event for the business travel industry and provides us with an excellent opportunity to meet with prospects, clients and our TMC Channel Advantage partners. If you’re attending, stop by our booth for a quick chat or take a few more minutes to discuss our expense automation solution (ExpenseNet®) and our proven case studies for our “Combined Analytics” approach to booking integration.

GBTA Convention Overview:

August 4 – 8 in San Diego

GBTA Convention 2013 puts valuable industry insight and market knowledge within reach for business travel professionals around the world. There is no limit to the connections you’ll make with thousands of business travel buyers as well as industry suppliers showcasing the latest technologies, tools, and trends. In the breakout sessions you’ll discover an endless business travel education. Enhance your professional development with pre-Convention education from the GBTA Academy and demonstrate your industry knowledge by earning the GTP Certification.

Eligibility for delayed publication. See 403.910 (pages 280-282) …reserved for “payments made under product research or development agreements and clinical investigations.”

Payments to third parties.

Payments or transfers of value to physician owners or investors.

Additional information or context for payment or transfer of value including the category. See full rules on pages 264-265. Those most applicable to Travel & Entertainment:

Gift.

Entertainment.

Food and beverage. **

Travel and lodging (including the specified destinations).

**-Special rules for reporting food and beverage.

1) When allocating the cost of food and beverage among covered recipients in a group setting where the cost of each individual covered recipient’s meal is not separately identifiable, such as a platter provided to physicians in a group practice setting, applicable manufacturers must calculate the value per person by dividing the entire cost of the food or beverage by the total number of individuals who partook in the meal (including both covered recipients and non-covered recipients, such as office staff). The per person value of the meal must be reported as a payment or other transfer of value only for covered recipients who actually partook in the food or beverage.

2) Applicable manufacturers are not required to report or track buffet meals, snacks, soft drinks, or coffee made generally available to all participants of a large-scale conference or similar large-scale event.

Pending Issues:

1) Submission File Format: CMS agreed to “provide applicable manufacturers and applicable GPOs with reporting templates and more details on reporting.” In other words, this is pending, but expected to be published no later than 90 days prior to the reporting date…so stay tuned.

2) Teaching Hospitals: CMS will publish the list once annually and make it available publicly and for download at least 90 days before the beginning of the reporting year. In the case of 2013, which will be a partial reporting year, the teaching hospital list will be published by May 3, 2013; for 2014 reporting, by October 3, 2013.

]]>InterplX ExpenseNet® Web Optimized App Puts Travel Expense Reporting at User’s Fingertips No Matter the Devicehttp://www.interplx.com/online-mobile-expense-reporting/
Tue, 29 Jan 2013 02:39:50 +0000http://www.interplx.com/?p=2014Platform agnostic, non-native app supports the “bring your own device” revolution According to an industry survey, today’s business travelers are typically equipped with three or four mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. To address the growing reliance on multiple mobile devices, InterplX has released ExpenseNet® Version 7.0. Featuring a web-optimized application, the latest version [...]

According to an industry survey, today’s business travelers are typically equipped with three or four mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. To address the growing reliance on multiple mobile devices, InterplX has released ExpenseNet® Version 7.0. Featuring a web-optimized application, the latest version of the ExpenseNet® software is developed specifically for use with mobile device browsers and enables users to move between different mobile devices seamlessly without losing data or functionality.

While other expense management software focuses on hosting the application on the device, InterplX’s latest release utilizes the mobile cloud, which inherently protects against potential security risks. By using the mobile cloud, the software is device agnostic and ideal for “bring your own device” (BYOD) cultures as well as travelers with multiple devices.

“For us, the clear path was not to get involved with creating separate applications for each of the major device manufacturers, but rather to focus on the core central site,” said Chuck Buckner, president and CEO, InterplX. “If the data and code are stored at the local level, when users move between mobile devices, data doesn’t always follow. By storing data centrally, neither data nor functionality is lost.”

Ideally suited for companies that have a large amount of employee travel or number of distributed employees; by having a single mobile device interface, users can more easily create expense reports, enter expenses, attach receipts, submit, and approve expense reports.

For companies with BYOD environments, ExpenseNet 7.0 enables expense submission across a wide spectrum of mobile devices. The use of a central mobile cloud also protects companies from potential data security risks.

For more information on InterplX ExpenseNet 7.0, please visit http://www.interplx.com.

About InterplX, Inc.
Founded in 1994, InterplX is a leading provider of employee expense management and purchase card transaction processing solutions, delivering the most complete suite of services in the industry. Using a web-based solution, InterplX offers automated business expense management for every step of the process: card transaction import, report submission, receipt imaging, policy enforcement, expense auditing, discrepancy resolution, and reimbursement. Known for providing highly customized implementations, InterplX has consistently delighted its clients by helping them strengthen controls, reduce costs, improve employee satisfaction, and minimize the burden on internal resources. InterplX now provides expense management automation to more than 250 blue chip organizations, representing over $1 billion in spending.